LOS ANGELES — Fourteen years ago, Devon Smith was at the same point as a player that he is today as a coach: one win from the Final Four.

He is on the staff at Wichita State, which plays Ohio State tonight in the West Regional final at Staples Center. In 1999, he was a walk-on guard for the Buckeyes whose most noteworthy moment came before they took the floor at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., to play St. John’s for a trip to the Final Four.

On the grease board in the locker room the coaches used to diagram plays, Smith printed, “One Shining Moment.” It is the title of the song that CBS still plays at the end of the NCAA championship game each year.

“It was kind of like (Wichita State this season) a little bit, because nothing of this magnitude was expected,” Smith said of the Buckeyes, who had been 8-22 the previous season.“You always hear the song and you always imagine yourself in that moment. Coach (Jim) O’Brien was so great about us believing in ourselves … and Scoonie (Penn) would always say, ‘There’s more left. There’s more on the other side of the mountain.’

“And Scoonie would always sing The Jeffersons song, Movin’ On Up. One night we were all at a McDonald’s together (near campus), and we started clapping and did the whole Jeffersons song together. We just rode the wave and we believed.”

Smith, the Shockers’ manager of player development, is one of two Wichita State coaches with a tie to Ohio State. First-year assistant K.T. Turner is the son of Ken Turner, who was on Randy Ayers’ staff at Ohio State for three months in 1994 before he died from a heart attack he suffered while jogging. He was 48.

K.T. Turner played basketball for one season at Westerville North High School before he and his family returned to their previous home in Manhattan, Kan. He said he still has an affinity for the Buckeyes.

“I’m always rooting for them — except for (tonight),” he said. “I’ve always liked it there. Coach Ayers did an incredible job after my dad passed helping me and my family out and staying in touch. He still calls me to this day and checks on me.”

In the spotlight

After not playing in last year’s NCAA Tournament, Ohio State forward LaQuinton Ross found himself surrounded by reporters yesterday. Such is life when you make a winning buzzer-beater one night earlier, as the sophomore did against Arizona.

“It doesn’t bother me, but I definitely don’t need it,” Ross said of the attention. “I could live without it.”

Ross seemed at ease with the national media crush and is just glad to be playing in the tournament — averaging 13.7 points in 19.7 minutes — after watching all five of last year’s games from the bench.

“That was definitely frustrating, but I ended up learning from it,” he said. “I’m a totally different player from last year.”